Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil Hudson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 171 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of his Department collecting information on how many (a) abattoirs and (b) food processing plants in (i) England and (ii) the UK a
There are 232 approved Food Standards Agency (FSA) abattoirs across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and the FSA records which are sole traders, partnerships, and incorporated companies. The majority of food processing plants are overseen by local aut...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of the UK's disease response capability in relation to foot and mouth disease.
To reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the UK, in collaboration with our National Reference Laboratory and international partners, Defra monitors the threat presented by different trade routes and works. The risk of incursion is currently c...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk posed by foot and mouth disease to the UK.
To reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the UK, in collaboration with our National Reference Laboratory and international partners, Defra monitors the threat presented by different trade routes and works. The risk of incursion is currently c...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the discovery of a case of atypical BSE in a cow in Scotland on UK agriculture.
BSE is not a contagious disease. There is no risk to animal and human health or food safety as a result of this isolated case. Unlike classical BSE, which occurs through the consumption of contaminated feed, atypical BSE is believed to occur spontaneously...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on ensuring transport provision in areas affected by storms.
Under the UK Government’s Lead Government Department (LGD) model, the responsibility for severe storms and weather in England rests with the following organisations: Risk Identification and Assessment: The Met Office.Prevention/Resilience, Preparation and...
Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on tackling avian influenza outbreaks in England.
Following the detection of notifiable avian influenza in poultry in England, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have stood up their well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade, and assist lo...
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.105 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, if he will maintain spending on flood resilience over the next five years.
We will invest £2.4 billion across 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. Longer term funding decisions will be made at the next Spending Review.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help (a) farmers and (b) animal-related industries to reduce the likelihood of bluetongue virus spreading.
Early identification was crucial to enabling a rapid response to a bluetongue outbreak. Defra provided free pre-movement testing to animal keepers in counties at the highest risk of incursion from infected midges originating from the continent. A restrict...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of dredging on flood mitigation.
Dredging and clearing channels are an important option for watercourse maintenance, where it is technically and cost effective, does not significantly increase flood risk for others downstream, and does not damage the environment and wildlife. Its effecti...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and (b) energy companies on resilience capability in the event of instances of power cuts d
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government works closely with electricity networks to continually improve and maintain the resilience of ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the potential merits of using the Armed Forces during extreme weather events.
Defra has longstanding arrangements with the Ministry of Defence to secure military support for flood response when this is required. There are well practiced procedures for requesting Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) at national and local lev...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re scheme to businesses.
Flood Re is a joint government and industry flood reinsurance scheme established specifically to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance. As such, it is funded via a levy on UK household insurers. Business insurance oper...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the speech made by the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs at the Vegetarian Society event on 13 November 2024.
Minister Zeichner spoke briefly at this reception. This is something he often does at similar events. Defra does not routinely publish transcripts of such remarks and there are no plans to deviate from convention.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on tackling cases of bluetongue virus.
Defra acted quickly to contain bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) when the first case this season was detected on 26 August 2024, implementing zones with movement controls on susceptible livestock to prevent spread. These disease control restrictions have been...
Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on tackling cases of avian influenza in Yorkshire.
One case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 has been confirmed in the Yorkshire area this season. This case follows recent detections of the HPAI H5N5 in wild birds in the region and is the first case confirmed since declaration of Great Bri...
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November to Question 11902 on Import Controls: Port of Dover, when checks on animals at Border Control Posts will begin.
We are reviewing the date for implementing specific post-Brexit border checks set out in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) and will publish more information on these soon. We continue to maintain essential border controls to protect our national bi...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) farming and (b) flood funding for the remainder of this Parliament.
Defra’s farming budget will be £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes. This funding ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the compliance of (a) people and (b) vehicles told to go to the Border Control Post at Sevington for checks.
Due to the intelligence led and dynamic nature of our biosecurity controls and to ensure operations are not impacted, we are unable to share data on Sanitary and phytosanitary checks. Consignments called to Sevington for an inspection will have completed ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capability to do random physical (a) animal and (b) plant checks on site in the Port of Dover.
Defra will continue to monitor and review the impact of the new controls. We will work closely with industry, trade partners and enforcement agencies to minimise disruption and costs to trade, while continuing to protect our biosecurity. The Port of Dover...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure vehicles sent to the Border Control Post at Sevington (a) go there directly and (b) do not unload their contents en route.
The risk of legitimate commercial loads not attending Sevington is mitigated by robust, data-backed enforcement options. Consignments called to Sevington for an inspection will have completed the necessary customs declarations and pre-notifications. These...